“A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain” Mark Twain
ISSUE 37
Santa Cruz de Tenerife Saturday 12 May 2012
EMPLOYERS GLOOMY ON JOB PROSPECTS CEOE concerned at impact of spending cuts in Canaries ◗The Tenerife branch of the influential CEOE employers’ association says more jobless gloom is in store for this year and next due to the latest spending cutbacks by the regional government. The employers say they expect the recently-announced series of cuts to lead
to 6000 job losses between now and the end of 2012, with a further 15,000 to follow in 2013. Having initially forecast that the islands could begin to emerge from the current recession in the latter half of this year, the Tenerife CEOE now says the fall in
government spending will now cause the situation to worsen as of June. It has also criticised the controversial decision to raise the main IGIC tax rate to 7% and warns that further fiscal pressure on businesses will bring dire consequences for the regional economy.
CRIME
Break-ins up by 40% in first three months of 2012 ◗A steep rise in house break-ins in the Canaries in the first three months of the year has been interpreted as a further sign of the biting crisis. The increase, 38.8% in Tenerife and 44% in Las Palmas, is twice that recorded for the same category of crimes in the rest of Spain. In contrast, car thefts during the same period fell by almost a fifth. Experts say the situation may reflect the growing need of petty criminals to obtain items that are easier to dispose of for cash.
ENVIRONMENT
Seaweed ‘scare’ for Candelaria beaches ◗A slick scare off the coast at Candelaria on Tuesday was nothing to do with sea pollution, says the local council. Rumours of a hazardous spillage gathered pace during the day, fuelling concerns among beach users. However, the council later issued a statement reassuring the public that the large brown patch which prompted the scare was just a mass of seaweed pushed along by sea currents to the Candelaria shoreline.
Queues at job centres will grow even longer due to the spending cutbacks, predict employers. / DA
LA PALMA
CULTURE
SLEEPING BEAUTY ON ICE COMES TO TENERIFE
Mayor leads by example with wage cut ◗The mayor of a small town in La Palma is in the headlines after slashing his salary to equate it to the minimum wage. Garafía’s Yeray Rodríguez, who already drew the smallest wage of the island’s mayors (1200 euros per month), has cut it to just 640 euros.
The ice ballet has been a worldwide hit for nearly a decade. / DA www.diariodeavisos.com/thesupplement
◗The Auditorium in Santa Cruz is the venue this week for a unique ballet by the world famous Imperial Ice Stars. The stage of the Auditorum’s Symphony Hall has
been transformed into an ice rink for a total of 8 performances, ending Sunday, of the Sleeping Beauty on Ice show that has delighted audiences since 2004.
2 The Supplement
Saturday 12 May 2012
ROCK COAST FESTIVAL IN LATE BID TO DRAW CROWDS Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
With less than a fortnight to go before the big event gets underway, the Rock Coast Festival in Santa Cruz appears to be sending out somewhat mixed signals with respect to its anticipated success. Media releases highlighting the very positive advance coverage of the 3-day festival in other parts of Europe give the impression that the concert marathon and packed programme of activities are more than enough to draw a sell-out audience. However, late discounts now being offered on ticket prices appear to be saying just the opposite. Until 15 May the Festival is offering two 3-day tickets for the price of one as part of what it calls an ‘Anti-Crisis Special’. Moreover, as a thank you gesture to fans who have already purchased their 3-day tickets, the offer has been extended to allow them to obtain a second ticket on production of the one already bought. The surprise discounts have been interpreted in some quarters as a worrying sign, if not outright admission, that sales have been doing much worse than expected and that attendances may fall well short of initial calculations. Despite the expressions of concern, the Festival continues to attract media interest outside Tenerife and the Canaries. Britain’s The Guardian newspaper included it in a recent special on Europe’s Best Summer Music Events and recommended rea-
ders to use the 24-26 May party week-end as a pretext for an extended holiday on Tenerife or even a trip to La Gomera. According to The Guardian, ‘bringing a shade of the dark side to the sunny city of Santa Cruz on the Canary Island of Tenerife, Rock Coast hosts Marilyn Manson, Sepultura, Smashing Pumpkins and Evanescence, alongside Ben Harper, Orbital, Iggy and the Stooges and Fatboy Slim. The Festival takes place in a huge outdoor space right by the sea, with a handful of big tents offering shelter, walkways lined with palm trees, and various zany activities from a wind tunnel to F1 simulators and paintballing’. Away from the mixed signals, the organisers -the vastly experienced concert promoters LM Productions- are proceeding with the last-minute arrangements to ensure the Festival, which is to be screened by MTV
This month’s Rock Coast Festival is recommended by The Guardian newspaper The mammoth Rock Coast Festival runs for 3 days and nights in Santa Cruz. / DA
Spain, is a roaring success. Confirmation was given last week that Tenerife’s bus company TITSA will operate a comprehensive shuttle service from the main bus station in Santa Cruz to the Festival grounds at the Dársena Pesquera between 11am
and 3am on each of the three days, with extra buses laid on in both directions at peak times. Public transport is the only means of access to the site and the bus fare is included in the ticket price. Work on the 70,000 square metre site began in late
April, when diggers moved in to flatten the ground in preparation for the construction of the walkways between the various attractions and giant tents. LM productions say Rock Coast is the biggest music and cultural event ever to be staged
in the Canaries and will consolidate Tenerife’s place on the world music map. A month later, the island plays host to a concert by former Police member Sting (30 June) as part of the singing legend’s Back to Bass tour.
Bollywood Carnival theme ‘a fitting tribute’ to Indian community Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Carnival will attract many Bollywood-style dancers like these. / DA
The choice of Bollywood as the theme for the 2013 Carnival in Santa Cruz could not be more appropriate, according to city mayor José Manuel Bermúdez, who is delighted not just by the response by the public to the first ever ‘choose the theme’ vote organised by the council but by the eventual choice of the many on-line voters. Over a thousand people took part in the poll, which closed last
Sunday and featured an initial phase to draw up a short-list of possible themes, followed by a final one-week vote to pick the most popular of the suggestions. Bollywood ran out an easy winner, attracting almost half of the total votes cast, and Bermúdez said the outcome was a fitting tribute to Santa Cruz’s large Indian community. Describing the community as an ‘excellent example of integration’, the mayor said Indians had brought ‘the best of multiculturalism to Santa Cruz’ over a
period of several generations. According to Bermúdez, in addition to being a very appropriate theme, the choice makes life considerably easier for Carnival-goers given that the search for suitable costumes will be less of a problem this time due to the large number of Indian fashion shops in the capital. The other short-listed contenders for the 2013 theme were Cartoon Characters, Carnivals of the World, Africa, The Sea and the Olympics, although none came near Bollywood in votes.
The Supplement
Saturday 12 May 2012
3
Tenerife towns vow to resist court loss threat DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Participants in one of last year’s themed walks listen to an explanation from their guide. / DA
‘KNOW YOUR SURROUNDINGS’ WALK SEASON BEGINS Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Tenerife’s natural scenery is again at the heart of an initiative by La Orotava town hall which is sure to be to the liking of locals and visitors. The council is once more offering themed walking trips to various parts of the island every fortnight to enable people to get to know areas they may be unfamiliar with and, just as important, to heighten awareness of the environmental importance of Tenerife’s conservation areas and natural parks.
The Saturday trips begin this week (12 May) with a visit to the volcanic Ucanca Peaks at Mt Teide and the following one is scheduled for 26 May to the lush pine forests in the mountains above Arico. Led by expert guide Nicolás Martín, the walks continue in June and July and conclude with a hike through the ravines at Masca and Teno. The activities are open to allcomers, although the fee payable varies depending on status. Residents of La Orotava have to pay 10.30 euros while those from outside the town are charged
14.95 for each trip. The point and time of departure is the same on each occasion: 07.45 am from the Plaza Franchy Alfaro in the town centre. With places limited to 20 each day, participants must sign up and pay in advance at the Ayuntamiento’s finance office. Further information on the walks and routes to be followed can be obtained in person by calling in at the corporation’s Environment Office in the Doña Chana Cultural Park or by phone on 922 328129. Potential takers are reminded that the walks vary in
difficulty, with some quite challenging, and that they should be suitably equipped to take part, by ensuring they have comfortable footwear for walking, a coat (and raincoat), hat, sunblock, a packed lunch and water. Last year’s ‘Know your Surroundings’ walks attracted over 200 participants, including many from the town itself, and the organisers are confident of matching the number this time round. The positive feedback received from participants was instrumental in the decision to repeat the experience.
‘People power’ likely to block electricity substation plans
Tenerife South Airport makes 25 million euro profit
Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
A fast-growing community protest movement looks as if it will put paid to plans to build an electricity sub-station in the town of La Matanza in the north of the island. Hundreds of local people have signed up to the movement to block the project, which would see electricity pylons and overhead cables installed in what is primarily a farming area. Called ‘Save Los Nateros’, the movement attracted a turn-out of over 500 people at its first big show of strength last Sunday and is already organising further
events to demonstrate to the island authorities and the national REE electricity distribution network that the sub-station will not be tolerated in the picturesque area. The support received this far has surprised even the organisers, who cite the appearance of banners hung from houses in a number of local districts as strong evidence that the community rejects the controversial plans. Spokeswoman Natalia García said this week that various residents’ associations in the La Matanza-La Victoria area have made contact to organise coordinated protest actions.
Tenerife South Airport is the second most profitable in the country, statistics for 2011 reveal. The figures, published by the Spanish Airports Authority (AENA), show that Tenerife South produced a post-tax profit for the country of nearly 25 million euros, 3 million more than Gran Canaria, but well behind Palma’s 44 million. Only 10 of Spain’s airports posted profits in 2011 and four of these are in the Canaries. The news has prompted Tenerife’s tourism chief Carlos Alonso to
urge the Spanish government to rethink its decision to increase landing charges at airports here. ‘Airports in the Canaries are effectively subsidising others elsewhere in the country. The rise in profits last year was due to the incentives offered to airlines in the form of lower charges’ insisted Alonso, who is also the Cabildo vice-president. The charge increases for this year, which have drawn fierce opposition from the regional and island authorities, mean that an average flight into Tenerife South from an EU country pays just under 2000 euros, up 26% compared to 2011.
Several Tenerife towns have vowed to fight to prevent the loss of their courts as part of new rationalisation plans whch would see the current 12 court districts in the western Canaries cut to 7 through mergers. The news has triggered angry reaction from Puerto de La Cruz, Icod de Los Vinos, Güímar and Granadilla, which would lose their current status as district court headquarters. Güímar, for example, would merge with Santa Cruz while Granadilla would be placed under the jurisdiction of Arona or Adeje. The proposals by the Spanish Council of the Judiciary have yet to be approved by Madrid. Spain’s justice minister Alberto Ruíz Gallardón has promised not to take a decision until he has discussed the matter with the Canarian government. However, the mayors are concerned at early signals from the authorities here, who have expressed enthusiasm for a system that would make better use of current resources.
Families demand action over water cuts DA Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Families in four parts of Puerto de La Cruz are demanding a refund of money they were forced to spend on bottled water for nearly a fortnight due to a contamination alert. The Las Dehesas, San Antonio, Taoro, and Las Arena districts were ordered not to drink tap water after the local water company revealed that a problem had occurred at a main storage facility in La Vera. Earlier this week 3000-litre tanks were installed in central locations in all four districts to provide residents with drinking water. However, the measure was slammed as late and insufficient by locals, who say many families lacked the money needed to constantly buy the bottled water prior to the arrival of the tanks. The town authorities were also criticised for not acting quickly enough to install an alternative temporary pipe to transport clean water from La Montaña.
4 The Supplement
Saturday 12 May 2012
SPORT ATHLETICS
Olympic inclusion ‘a dream come true’ for Hernández ◗The tense wait by Canarian distance runner José Carlos Hernández to see if he will be going to the London Olympics has ended positively. The Lanzarote athlete is one of the three runners selected by Spain for the marathon. His best time of 2:11:57, run in Barcelona in March, put him second in the national rankings and his inclusion was confirmed on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL Sunday could see in-form Tenerife clinch second spot and a better play-off draw. / DA
Tenerife aim for runner-up spot Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Victory for Tenerife in the last game of the season against Alcalá tomorrow is by no means certain but would guarantee second place in the league and a kinder play-off draw. The unexpected slip-up by Lugo last week (1-1 at home to lowly Leganés) means that Tenerife’s convincing win at Marino Luanco lifted them above Lugo on goal difference, putting them in the driving seat for the runner-up spot. The islanders’ resurgent form in the past few weeks sees them
tipped as strong candidates for promotion in the complicated play-off system which gets under way on 20 May and consists of three rounds of two-leg ties which will determine who goes up to Division 2. If Tenerife do finish second they will be drawn against a 4th-placed side from one of the other three Division 2B groups, which should give them a slight advantage, at least in the first round. Such a prospect was unthinkable less than a month ago, when a loss of form saw Tenerife almost slip out of the play-off spots in the final stretch of the
season. However, wins against Oviedo and Marino Luanco, both by a 3-0 scoreline, have brought a much-needed boost, not to mention a big improvement to the side’s goal difference. Manager Quique Medina says the job is not done yet and tomorrow’s final game against Alcalá is not a foregone conclusion, despite Tenerife’s 4-0 thrashing of their opponents in the reverse fixture in January. Medina is faced with a dilemma in midfield due to the suspension of Richi Kitoko and could recall Victor Bravo after his one-match ban. Bravo’s replacement, Alvaro
Zazo, produced probably his best performance of the season so far and deserves to continue, although Medina might opt instead for the more combative Marcos Rodríguez. Also suspended is full-back Raúl Llorente, whose enforced absence may result in a recall for Cristóbal, who was dropped last week. However, Medina is not overly-disappointed at losing two of his most valuable players against Alcalá, given that their suspensions will wipe the slate clean for the play-offs, where their presence will certainly be more important.
FOOTBALL
Young footballer death triggers check-up debate Diario de Avisos Santa Cruz de Tenerife
The tragic death this week of a teenage footballer has rekindled calls for tighter checks on the medical health of sporting enthusiasts. Máximo Gómez, a 15-year-old goalkeeper with the San Lorenzo club in Arona, collapsed and died during training on Monday. Club official José Domingo Reverón, who witnessed the tragedy, says the entire footballing community in the area is in shock at the death of ‘Maxi’: ‘it happened in full view of several other teams from our club who were training there at the same time. The chairman and my son fought frantically to keep him alive and were then joined by
Colleagues of Máximo Gómez carried his coffin at his funeral. / DA
two ambulance crews. The boy kept complaining of head pains. The other players are still traumatised by the experience of hearing the doctor pronounce
him dead’ explained Reverón. Two years ago an 18-year-old youth collapsed and died at a sports hall in Santa Ursula during a game of indoor football.
His death triggered controversy after it was revealed in the media that he had apparently been given the all-clear by doctors a month earlier, when he underwent a check-up for a hereditary heart complaint. With footballing deaths and scares now making headlines across the world, including the recent cases of Livorno player Piermario Morosini in Italy and Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba in England, pressure is growing on the authorities at all levels to act to prevent unsuited individuals from taking part in strenuous physical activity. However, doctors insist that it is impossible to totally predict the consequences of intensive exercise on the body and, although check-ups may provide clues, they can never detect all risk cases. CD Tenerife team doctor Juanjo Valencia has called for defibrillators to be made compulsory at all sporting venues to help deal with an emergency.
Richotti celebrates unexpected Argentina call-up ◗Nico Richotti’s impressive season at league and cup winners Iberostar Canarias has not gone unnoticed by his home country. Richotti received the icing on the cake of a brilliant year in the form of a first ever call-up by Argentina for a series of friendlies next week in Angola as preparation for the Olympics, where the South Americans are among the medal favourites.
FOOTBALL
Knee problem rules Barcelona’s Puyol out of Euros ◗One of Spain’s iconic footballers is to miss Euro2012 due to injury. Barcelona captain Carles Puyol’s knee surgery will keep him out of the Spanish Cup Final against Athletic Bilbao and the Euro championship in Poland and Ukraine, which begins on 8 June. Known worldwide for his flowing curls, Puyol has played in three World Cups and two European Championships.
TENNIS
Madrid interest short-lived for Carla Suárez ◗Canarian Carla Suárez failed to make it past the second round of the big Madrid Open tennis tournament being held this week. Despite impressing in her win against former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic in Round 1, Suárez, a finalist in Estoril last week, went down in straight sets to Czech Lucie Safarova in 90 minutes.